Jewish Herald Voice | February 5, 2015
The Houston Jewish Community Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston's Jerome Robinson Family Young Adult Division, has named Rabbi Johnny Ouzzan and Greg Weil as the 2015 recipients of the Malcolm C. Gluckman Leadership Award. The scholarship is awarded to young leaders who have demonstrated support and advocacy for Israel and have exceptional leadership skills. Rabbi Ouzzan and Weil will attend the 2015 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington from March 1-3.
Among the common qualities this year's winners of the scholarship share are: their optimism and confidence, the ability to utilize information to educate others, their willingness to accept important leadership roles and challenges and their pride in the Jewish community and Israel.
Rabbi Ouzzan is from Toronto. He went to a yeshiva in Israel, where he studied for eight years to become a rabbi. He is both an assistant rabbi and youth director for Congregation Beth Rambam and the director of Young Professional Outreach at TORCH. His responsibilities with TORCH include: administering weekly and monthly programs for young adults, conducting a dinner and discussion on Monday evenings, titled TALK, and hosting Young Professional Community Shabbat meals. He recently returned from a TORCH mission to Israel with 15 young professional participants.
Weil is an assurance senior associate in the greater Houston practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He graduated with a masters in professional accounting from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012 and attained his CPA license in Texas, allowing him to focus on energy-related clients, specifically upstream oil and gas producers. Weil is on the Jerome Robinson Family Young Adult Division, executive Young Adult Division executive board, with a focus on business and professional programming. Through his involvement with Junior Achievement, Weil promotes financial literacy throughout the city of Houston.
The Malcolm C. Gluckman Scholarship Award was created by the Gluckman family and close friends to honor the memory of their son, brother and friend, Malcolm, who passed away at 37 and left a legacy for young Jewish professionals to emulate. He was a respected, tireless advocate for Jewish life and was passionate in his loyalty to Israel. Malcolm was action-oriented and fully engaged in the work he believed in. The scholarship in his name has impacted the lives of former recipients and continues to do so. Past awardees include Nir Grossman, Renee Freedman, Gil and Samantha Melman, Yakov Polatsek, Dori Kornfeld Goldman, Jane Tavyev, Zachary Garber, Loren Chorn, Marc Eichenbaum and Eugene Tunitsky.